Frede (pronounced “Freddy”) Ware is a Texas socialite comfortable in her role as a member of the Junior League of Willow Creek. To join the JLWC’s ranks, a woman must be beaucoup rich and très magnifique. A spattering of French expressions never hurts a prospective member’s chances, either.

As an upstanding member of the JLWC, Frede is in the running for the position of president-elect. Of course, this just has to be the time for her husband to betray her with an affair—and by stealing all of her money. A sponge from the beginning, Gordon has taken Frede’s trust in him and broken it worse than a poorly manicured fingernail.

Now Frede’s NC (“No Class,” pronounced “Nancy”) neighbor, attorney Howard Grout, is her only hope for getting her m-o-n-e-y back, with a side dish of revenge. If she can get his très tacky wife into the posh JLWC, he’ll help find Gordon. Although Frede cringes at the deal, she agrees. All she can do is hope that none of her debutante friends find out that she’s alone and almost penniless. After all, one must keep up appearances.

For anyone familiar with Junior League society, this book is a laugh-out-loud riot. For anyone who ever made fun of or looked down on the über-elite, this book is a laugh-out-loud riot. Frede’s arrogant attitude might make some readers despise her, but the defining events in this book open her eyes to appearances other than those appreciated by the crème-de-la-crème of Willow Creek.

The writing in this novel is fantastic. The only drawback is that many readers will have a hard time sympathizing with Frede. Not only is she an upper-class snob, but for a seemingly intelligent woman, she proves she can make some seriously stupid moves. As readers learn early on, it really is a bad idea to sign whatever your husband sticks under your nose without reading it first. And that’s just scratching the surface of Frede’s mistakes. It is the resolution of her mistakes, and the resulting growth, that make this novel fly. If you can get past the extreme arrogance of the first half of the book, you’ll find the end takes you on a fun ride that hints at more to come from this talented author.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
8/27/2006

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